The Las Vegas memorial service for former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Saturday will feature the sitting U.S. president, a past U.S. president, the Speaker of the House, the Senate Majority Leader and the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and President M. Russell Ballard will speak along with members of the Reid family.
“We are honored to have such a distinguished group paying tribute to Harry’s life and accomplishments,” Reid’s wife Landra said in a statement. “These are not only some of the most consequential leaders of our time — they are also some of Harry’s best friends. Harry and our family have always had such love and admiration for each of them and their families. Harry loved every minute of his decades working with these leaders and the incredible things they accomplished together.”
Hall of Fame singer and songwriter Carole King and the lead singer of The Killers, Brandon Flowers, will perform musical tributes.
“We’re touched to have two of Harry’s favorite artists joining us as well — Brandon Flowers and Carole King,” Landra Reid said. “Our family is eternally grateful for Brandon and everything he’s done for Harry and us over the years. And the thought of having Carole King performing in Harry’s honor is a tribute that’s truly beyond words. We can’t thank everyone enough for joining us to commemorate Harry’s legacy.”
The event at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts is for invited guests only, but it will be streamed live here. The pre-program will begin at 10:30 a.m. PST. The memorial service begins at 11 a.m. PST.
Reid died Dec. 28 after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer.
He served as a U.S. senator from Nevada for 30 years after four years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was a Democrat who served as the Senate Majority Leader from 2007 to 2015.
Reid and his wife, Landra, became Latter-day Saints (widely known as Mormons) while college students at Utah State University, where Reid earned a degree in political science and history. Reid was a devout church member for the rest of his life, more than 60 years, and Reid helped the church obtain visas for its missionaries, lease ground church members consider hallow and build the BYU Jerusalem Center.
Saturday’s memorial will not be the first or last honor for Reid.
Last month, Las Vegas renamed its airport Harry Reid International Airport, leaving behind the old name, McCarran, after former Sen. Pat McCarran, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Reid did not attend out of precaution against COVID-19.
“For my whole life I’ve been coming and going from McCarran Airport, since the first time I ever got on a plane, back in 1958,” Reid said in a statement. “This airport has been my gateway to the world. During my 35 years in Washington, I was here a lot. Home means Nevada, and for me, the airport long ago became synonymous with home.”
Next week, Reid will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., where another service in his honor will be held.